As you all know, there have been an inordinate number of notable (and bizarre) deaths in the last few weeks. In keeping with the recently popular death tributes here at SoD, I wanted to celebrate a death that some of us remember quite fondly. The death of disco. It was thirty years ago last Sunday that disco died at a Chicago White Sox game in center field of Comiskey Park. The ensuing riot caused the White Sox to forfeit the second half of the day’s doubleheader. It remains the last American League game to be forfeited.

Pay particular attention to the local Chicago news guy and his interview of disco murderer, DJ Steve Dahl. (Between 3:14 and 4:00 on the clip below)

Break out the Hall of Fame ballot, Blake Griffin had 27 and 12 in last night’s summer league game. I know that’s what you are thinking Clipper fan but hold your horses. Adam Morrison is averaging 22 and 5 and Robin Lopez had 24 and 16 in his first game. If that isn’t enough to crush your dreams, check out the leading summer league scorers from last year’s summer league (with their regular season averages in points and minutes in parentheses):

2009 Summer League All-Star Adam Morrison

Jerryd Bayless (POR) – 29.8 (3.0 ppg, 5.5 mpg)

Donte Greene (then HOU) – 22.6 (3.8 ppg, 13.2 mpg)

Quincy Douby (then SAC) – 22.3 (4.4 ppg, 11.1 mpg)

Alando Tucker (PHX) – 21.6 (4.6 ppg, 9.4 mpg)

Great. Two of the four top scorers were traded and Alando Tucker…yes, that Alando Tucker….was the leading scorer of the bunch during the 2008-2009 regular season. Don’t get me wrong, 27 and 12 is nice (especially when compared with Greg Oden’s 9.5 and 3.5 in two games followed by microfracture surgery). But, when that performance is equal to that of Sideshow Bob Lopez it tends to put things in perspective.

If you’re like me you most certainly remember the 1998 U.S. Figure Skating Championships – this was the year American institution Michelle Kwan won gold, future Olympic gold medalist Tara Lipinksi won silver, and Nicole Bobek finished with the bronze. However it was a 21 year-old Bobek that skated away with a young Scott Howard’s heart – and by heart I mean…I thought she was like really hot. Like Dominique Moceanu before her (my object of affection at the ’96 Summer Olympics), I imagined a scenario in which she’d be taken with my teenage charm and lack of skating ability – (more…)

It has not been an easy couple of months for celebrities – they are pushing the “comes in threes” mystique into several mutiples at this point. But if you felt bad for Farrah not getting her share of the limelight due to MJ’s unfortunate (timely?) demise, shed a quick tear for my boy Waldo.

Unlike Lord Vigo, Waldo Did Not Prophesy of His Return Just Before His Head Died

Ralph Waldo McBurney, 106, died July 8, 2009, of natural causes. In 2006, he was widely recognized as America’s Oldest Worker due to his “spry, agile” commitment to his craft as a beekeeper in pitiful Quinter, Kansas. He wrote an autobiography about his first century on Earth in 2004 (I haven’t read it but since this guy spent his life in Kansas, it probably does not quite equal the literary value of the works of the other Ralph Waldo).

In a country where being rich makes you famous and being old makes you a hero, Ralph Waldo McBurney was a hero. Surely he’s busy filling that honey pot in heaven. Oh, bother!

Every Friday we designate this weekend’s honorary drinker. You know, like a parade marshal. Except cooler.

After last week’s holiday hiatus, we return with this week’s honorary drinker: Eric Stratton. Some people are Bluto guys. Others are Neidermeyer guys. A few people are even pants-less Donald Sutherland guys. Me, I’ve always been an Otter guy. Go forth and remember, when things get bad, it just means it’s time for a road trip.

There's always time for a nightcap at Otter's.

“Ladies and gentlemen, I’ll be brief. The issue here is not whether we broke a few rules, or took a few liberties with our female party guests – we did. But you can’t hold a whole fraternity responsible for the behavior of a few, sick twisted individuals. For if you do, then shouldn’t we blame the whole fraternity system? And if the whole fraternity system is guilty, then isn’t this an indictment of our educational institutions in general? I put it to you, Greg – isn’t this an indictment of our entire American society? Well, you can do whatever you want to us, but we’re not going to sit here and listen to you badmouth the United States of America.” – Eric “Otter” Stratton

In case you still haven’t figured out what this blog is here to celebrate, I give you the top of the 8th inning in last night’s D’backs v. Marlins game (which the D’backs led 7-0 at the top of the 6th):